Ginny's Potion Woes
by The-Caitiff
Summary: Post HBP, The truth behind the Monster in Harry's chest and his relationship with Ginny. Darker and more vindictive Harry, but not too evil.


Disclaimer; JKR owns Potter and friends. 

A/N; This starts at the end of HBP, as is pretty obvious.

00000

"Harry, I know this really isn't the time for it but you and I need to have a heart to heart talk." Ginny said to Harry as they left the funeral of Albus Dumbledore.

"Alright Ginny, you know you can tell me anything." Harry pulled her into a hug from behind and pointed towards a large willow tree whose branches could shield them. "Let's head to the tree and have some privacy with our talk." He whispered into her ear and finished with a kiss on her neck before grabbing her hand and leading the way.

Ginny felt torn. This was why she had to tell Harry the truth; he was just too nice, too understanding. He treated her like a goddess when he didn't know the truth of their relationship. She felt horrible when she realized what she was really doing to him. She might really love him and she couldn't keep abusing that love. They reached the willow tree and leaned against the trunk.

"Harry I know this sounds vain but I want you to describe your feelings for me and how they might have changed over the years. Please, I'll tell you why in a minute."

"Well when I first saw you in the train station in my first year, I noticed that you were a cute girl but I didn't give you much thought. That summer I learned a little about you even though you could not speak around me. At the time I thought you had a crush on my fame or my image, and maybe you did I can't say. Over my second year I wanted to get to know you at least a little beyond only being Ron's little sister. Unfortunately the diary trapped you in its clutches so I never got the chance. When you were trapped in the chamber I came for you not only because you were Ron's sister but also because you were one of the few people who saw me even a little bit as Harry. You disappeared into the background for my third and fourth years mostly but I still saw you every once in a while. I think that is where our actual friendship started. Fifth year you really came out of your shell around me and I saw the person you were becoming. Your perfections were only accented by your flaws and I saw the real person behind Ron's little sister. I learned who Ginny was, and she wasn't afraid to give me a kick in the rear or Voldemort a kick in the jewels. That summer I had a lot of soul searching to do. If you had not been involved with Dean, I might have gathered the courage to ask you out. You were certainly attractive enough even then. I was patiently waiting for my chance when you started dosing me with the love potions." Ginny gasped and looked at him in fear.

"Harry… I…"

"No, you asked so I will tell you. Yes I knew about the love potions immediately. Hermione mentioned that some of the younger girls were talking about them, and she mentioned that the two of you saw them in the Twin's shop. When my feelings for you advanced from attraction and friendship to obsessive love in a flash of funny tasting pumpkin juice, I knew what you did. Compared to an Imperius cast by the Dark Lord, Fred and George's love potions were not hard to break through."

"If you knew the whole time why did you go out with me? You must think I am a horrible person. Were you just using me, waiting to see how low I would sink?" Ginny hid her face in her hands.

"Muggle Teenagers have a saying I find fitting here. You can't rape the willing. Which, by the way, is what you were trying to do. I was angry at first that you tried to steal my free will but then I realized that I had wanted you before the potion. Because I knew the obsession was only a product of the potion, I was able to simply enjoy it when you gave me a second dose. It's a funny feeling to feel passion and apathy at the same time. I loved you with the fire of a thousand suns, but knew it was partly forced. I was angry about the violation of my will, but I enjoyed it too. Fire and Ice, Love and Anger, Passion and Apathy, Freedom and Control… That's what you've done to me. It is an interesting and intriguing combination. I've known this talk was coming for a while now; your doses have been getting just a little weaker every time in the last week. You feel badly don't you? That's why you lowered your control, why you asked me here?"

"Harry… I don't know what to say. I didn't just want to talk to you because I was feeling bad, but because I think I really love you. And I realized that love cannot be forced like I was doing. I will understand if you never want to speak with me again. I'm sorry Harry."

"I'm not. It was fun. Did you think I liked being an overly emotional teenager with no friends? I was not happy as I was. You might as well have just cast a cheering charm on me for all the control you actually had over me, but you gave me what I wanted as well so I never mentioned it. Now here comes the real question. Now that the truth is out between us, do you want to continue as we have begun?"

"What are you talking about? Why would you even think about dating like me? How could you like such a… such a…"

Harry chuckled, "Like I said, your flaws can sometimes work with your good points. One of the things I like about you is that you decide what you want and you go get it. Unfortunately you are just as impulsive as your brothers. The love potion was completely unnecessary, and a poor choice. I think you have honestly realized all the reasons why it was a bad idea so I won't repeat them. You didn't think things through but you still went after your desires with no looking back. So if you promise to talk with me before doing something stupid, I'm willing to give it a second chance."

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with a fire reborn. "Yes Harry! I've waited so long for this. I'm so glad I won't have to try to sneak around with potions anymore."

Harry shook his head and chuckled, "You misunderstood me, I said we continue as we began. What would you think of taking a few love potions yourself? It's an experience I promise you. You see, Dumbledore once told me that the Power the Dark Lord Knows Not is love. I was willing to fight a giant snake, look Voldemort in the eye, and fight the Death Eaters for people I loved either as friends or a father. How much more could we do if we had the passionate love between lovers to draw upon? I was never raised to love Ginny, I never really knew what it felt like until Sirius died and I realized what he meant to me. I certainly never knew what romantic love was, but your potions took the spark that was growing and made a bonfire."

"You want us to take love potions we don't need so we can beat Voldemort?"

"Essentially yes."

"You're crazy!"

"And you're the one who loves me." Harry gave her the smile that could have any girl eating out of the palm of his hand as he pulled two vials from his cloak, one pink the other blue. "So what do you say my Queen?"

Ginny took the pink potion and eyed it warily before downing it with a gulp. "I love you Harry, please never leave me."

Harry took the blue vial, "Good old Amortentia. I love you too Gin."

00000 Six Months Later…..

The final battle was a messy affair. After hunting down the horcruxes they fought their way through Death Eaters to the old Riddle Home in Little Hangleton. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were exhausted by the time they breached Voldemort's throne room, Harry was winded but still had plenty of fight left. He gave Ginny one last kiss before he opened up his full power against Voldemort.

He embraced the full raging torrent of emotions that came with the world's most powerful love potion. He roared into battle like a mother bear separated from her cubs and was fully on the offensive, forcing Voldemort to defend and keep moving. He dodged the few offensive spells the Dark Lord managed to throw at him and just kept coming. After nearly a half hour of constant casting most people would be magically exhausted and physically tired of dodging, but Harry was still locked into the adrenaline fueled by the fight or flight instinct the potions kept triggering. Voldemort was just starting to slow when Harry caught him with a lucky shot. That was all it took, as soon as he started loosing, it was a slippery slope and soon Voldemort was lying on the floor while Harry stood over him with a sword. Without a word, Harry cut the head from the one man who had interfered in his life more than Dumbledore and the most feared Dark Lord in British history went still.

As he turned back to his friends Harry clawed through the haze when he looked at Ginny. With one last heave of energy he shattered the love potion's influence over his mind. "Goodbye Ginny, you'll never see me again. Oh by the way, lately I've slipped you mind weakening potions too, good luck fighting it off before it wears off on it's own."

"What? Why would you do that? I love you Harry! I thought you loved me too. Please don't leave me!"

"It sucks being used and dosed with love potions doesn't it? Goodbye." Harry disapperated with a crack. It was almost a year before the massive amounts of Amortentia in Ginny's system faded.


End file.
